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WordCamp Europe

I really enjoyed WordCamp Europe, which isn’t a surprise as I usually do. Belgrade is a great city. It’s got a cool vibe, the people are very friendly, lovely food, and is very affordable.

WordCamp Europe 2018 – Belgrade

The WordCamp itself was dominated by Gutenberg, which is as it should be. I thought Matt talked very well on the subject. There is some resistance to Gutenberg within the community, which makes sense given that it’s such a big change and people are worried what it might do to their plugins and themes. However, Matt explained this eloquently; WordPress is 15 years old, so it’s based on a design from 15 years ago. It needs to be updated, otherwise at some point it will fade away. This is no easy task, it’s a bit like changing the engine on a car while driving it. So it will be difficult, but the team behind Gutenberg are doing all they can to ease this transition. They are continually looking to work with the community, to get feedback, and to run workshops so developers know how to use it. It’s also worth pointing out that no-one is being forced into Gutenberg. Even when it’s part of Core, they will be an option to use the classic editor.

There are still some issues with the API (I’m assuming the REST API, but it wasn’t mentioned specifically). Apparently Gutenberg doesn’t play nicely with mobile apps yet, but this will be resolved. At some point, probably the middle of next year, none of will even remember life before Guttenberg.

Next year’s WCEU will be in Berlin. I’ve only been there once before, and it was a lightning visit – I saw the Brandenburg Gate from a taxi window but didn’t have time to explore properly. I’ve spent more time in Munich, including but not only the Oktoberfest. My general impression of Germany is a positive one. I’m really looking forward to next year.